How To Stick To Journaling

You’ve heard of the benefits of journaling for years and want to try it out.

You love the idea of filling up pretty journals with pretty words, memories and musings.

You want to look mysterious in a coffee shop with your journal and iced coffee as people pass by.

You’ve probably tried to start a couple of times already, and have notebooks with only the first two pages written in to prove it.

Whatever your reason for wanting to start a journaling practice, like any goal, you have to find ways to stick with it.

In this post I’m going to share with you 5 tips to stick to journaling, and how to get started.

There are no wrong answers.

Before we get into the tips on how to stick to journaling, lets talk about what stops people from staying consistent with a journal practice.

The number one block I see to consistently journaling is not knowing what to write. Essentially, thinking that what you journal about will somehow be the wrong thing.

A journal practice is a deeply personal thing, and for that there are no wrong answers. If it’s what you want to write, then it’s right.

Adopting a mindset of ‘no wrong answers’ in journaling will make showing up to the page much less intimidating.

Answer a question

Journal prompts are a great way to focus your thoughts, or spark a new idea if you’re not sure what to write. It is the answer to the ‘blank page syndrome’ of not knowing what to write. By answering a journal prompt, you can pinpoint exactly what to write about. You might even be surprised about what comes up for you by asking yourself a question you haven’t asked before.

I’m a big fan of journal prompts and you can download a worksheet for beginners with 10 journal prompts below.

Keep it in plain sight

Whether it’s front and centre on your desk, or nestled on your pillow so you have to move it to get into bed at night, keep your journal in plain sight. Out of sight, out of mind is a real thing so don’t fall prey to keeping your journal in a drawer or in a room you barely hang out in.

Just do two minutes

According to James Clear in the incredible Atomic Habits, one of the best ways to build a habit and keep it consistent is to just do two minutes. This ‘Two Minute Rule’ can apply to any habit, especially journaling.

Put on a timer and write non stop for two minutes a day and you’ll soon be on your way to a consistent journal practice. You’ll probably even find that once that timer goes off, you want to keep going.

Pick a time and stick to it

Scheduling your journal practice gives it an importance in your life. You might begin your day with your journal over morning coffee, or jot down your thoughts before you sleep at night. Making it a non-negotiable part of your routine, as non-negotiable as brushing your teeth, will make you reach for your journal and pen on autopilot.

Habit stack

In Atomic Habits, James Clear states that the best way to start a new habit is to pair the habit you want to create with an established habit. For example, you probably brush your teeth every night. To habit stack a journal practice with that existing habit might be to journal immediately after.

Another example would be to journal while the kettle boils for your daily cup of coffee.

Pairing a habit you want to build with one that you already do everyday is a great effective way to ensuring you stick to your journal practice consistently.

A journal practice is a habit, and like any habit, doing it consistently comes down to making it easy with prompts, simple with the ‘Two Minute Rule’, obvious with having your journal in plain sight, and automatic with scheduling or habit stacking.

If you want to know more about the benefits of a consistent journal practice, you can find a bunch here. Or if you want to get stuck right in, you can find a wealth of journal prompts in the journal section of this blog.

Happy journaling!

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